Clothes washing machines include either vertical or horizontal agitators for moving clothes during the washing operation. In the horizontal washing machine, the agitator continually rotates in one direction causing the clothes therein to tumble during the washing operation in a soap and water cleaning solution. In the vertical washing machine, the agitator reciprocates or oscillates to continually change its rotation direction for moving the clothes to effect cleaning thereof in the cleaning solution.
In order to improve clothes moving in the vertical washing machine, it is known to also include an auger having a spiraling vane or screw disposed coaxially atop the agitator. Disposed between the auger and the agitator is a conventional ratchet drive mechanism which converts the oscillating, bidirectional rotation of the agitator into unidirectional rotation of the auger so that the auger screw is rotated for pulling the clothes downwardly in operation in the cleaning solution for improving the effectiveness of the washing operation. A typical auger screw extends substantially perpendicularly radially outwardly from the centerline axis of the auger in order to effectively propel the clothes downwardly along the auger itself during operation.
More specifically, the coaxial agitator and auger are disposed in the center of a tubular basket in the washing machine which is substantially filled with the cleaning solution and the laundry to be washed. During operation, the agitator oscillates back and forth, with the vanes thereon pumping or moving the clothes radially outwardly toward the inner wall of the basket. In turn, the clothes are circulated vertically upwardly along the basket wall to the top of the basket where the circulation turns radially inwardly toward the top of the auger. The auger vane enhances clothes circulation by propelling the clothes downwardly along the auger for returning the clothes to the agitator for completing one turnover cycle. The more turnover cycles of the clothes during the entire washing operation, the more effective is the cleaning thereof.
Although the auger screw enhances clothes turnover during the washing operation, it has been observed that in addition to propelling the clothes downwardly along the auger itself, the clothes are also propelled radially outwardly along the auger screw which inhibits the free movement of the clothes upwardly along the basket inner wall and, in turn, prevents achievement of the maximum turnover of clothes in the washer.